MUNCIE, Ind. — As a realtor Rebekah Hanna has seen her fair share of homes, but it's a historic house in the Old West End neighborhood that has been on her mind since she moved to Muncie in 2002.

It was a "really cool property" with a large yard, plenty of room for parking, a stately look and local history. Now, Hanna owns that house, more specifically, the Phillips-Johnson House at 516 W. Jackson St. In the next five to six months, Hanna will work to transform the home into a two-unit Airbnb.

The project should be completed by May, possibly earlier.

"I've not been this excited in forever," Hanna said. "It's going to give people a really cool place to stay downtown."

The home, which Hanna will call the "Muncie Guesthouse," was built in the late 1880s and declared a historic landmark in 1996. Chris Flook, president of the Delaware County Historical Society, found in his research that the home was owned by J.J. Johnson and Elizabeth (Phillips) Johnson for decades and passed along to descendants. It stayed in the family until the 1980s. The home's later owners worked to preserve and restore it.

Hanna worked with the city of Muncie to determine what could and couldn't be changed on the property. She closed on the Phillips-Johnson House in mid-November.

The interior of 516 W. Jackson St., a historic home acquired by local realtor Rebekah Hanna, who is turning the home into a nice Airbnb rental. This is a "before" picture.(Photo: Cole Farlow, provided by Rebekah Hanna)

Crews have started interior demolition work, rearranging rooms to accommodate the two rental units within the home. Once finished the downstairs unit will include two bedrooms, a full bathroom and a kitchen, while the upstairs will include a living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette.

Since the home is a historic landmark, not much on the outside will change, but Hanna said the inside will see a "drastic transformation."

Hanna's interest in the home coincides with a longtime interest in owning a home she could rent out for guests so they could visit Muncie and fully experience it. She understood the appeal to Airbnb because her kids play travel sports, and her family enjoys staying in Airbnb rentals during trips.

Airbnb is a company that operates an online marketplace allowing people rent out their properties or spare rooms.